CIA director bars accountability review for his predecessor, others

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WASHINGTON — Contrary to recommendations, CIA Director Porter Goss will not order disciplinary reviews for the agency’s former director George Tenet and other officials who have come under fire for their performance before the attacks of Sept 11, 2001.

In a statement Wednesday, Goss said a report by the agency’s independent watchdog did not suggest “that any one person or group of people could have prevented 9/11.”

“After great consideration of this report and its conclusion, I will not convene an accountability board to judge the performances of any individual CIA officers,” he said.

Half of those named in the report have retired from the agency. “Those who are still with us are amongst the finest we have,” Goss added.

A joint congressional inquiry investigating 9/11 asked the CIA’s inspector general to review whether any agency officials should be held personally accountable and disciplined for failures before the suicide hijackings.

Spanning hundreds of pages, the report completed this summer recommended accountability reviews for former director Tenet and other current and former officials. Limited details have been provided by individuals familiar with report who spoke only on condition of anonymity because it remains classified.

Goss indicated he will make little — if any — of the document public, saying now is not the time to reveal how intelligence is collected and analyzed.